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Eastern States 100 Pre-Race Report 2026

Eastern States 100 Pre-Race Report 2026

Published by Patrick Durante on August 4, 2026

Well, here I am again, back another year at Eastern States. PA’s best, and biggest 100 mile race. A year has past since the dreaded “DFL”. So what did I learn? What changed in my process and training to avoid it this year? Here’s a few things that are different than last years training build up.

What I did different?

World’s End, Hyner, and Breakneck got me ready for ES100
  1. Higher race volume of terrain specific training.
  2. (Breakneck, Hyner, and Worlds End). If you are training for other races your overall fitness and readiness to take on ES will be at a higher level. Last year I didn’t race as much except for a Last Person Standing and pacing my friend at Western States. Races are a great way to build fitness if you can work them into your schedule. The 2 other races in the triple crown series have the same type of vertical gain/terrain as ES100.
  3. Racing is its own microcosm, the way it feels, the stress, and how to handle different situations that arise. You can’t get that in training and why its best to have a test event before your A race.
  4. Higher volume of running in the heat (mid day running) with back-to-back training days. ES100 is basically two very long days of running. Running back-to-back days teaches the legs how to run fatigued and tired. I made sure to have a lot of double days of climbing.
  5. Gear specific training with vest/poles – I brought my gear I would be wearing and using on a bunch of runs, I didn’t do that too much last year.
  6. Large amount of uninterrupted training blocks. Last year we went on two short vacations and I traveled to Western States before the race. Total training volume and climbing was decreased before Es100 in 2025, not this time.
Highlight of this year – Trail Classic with my son!

What I would like to happen this year?

  1. Foot care is paramount.
    • This year, I have made huge efforts to make sure my feet stay happy and healthy. I had a massive amount of damage to my feet in last years ES100, I even say in the video as I come into this one aid station that I need to get my feet fixed. This is what slowed me to a CRAWL last year. Shoes that I should have broke in more, poor timing with a shoe change, and a whole host of issues like that caused the foot problems. I plan to wear double socks to cut down on the friction from the rocky terrain.
  2. Custom Gels and Aid Stations
    • Last year, I spent TOO much time at the amazing aid stations, mostly taking in the amazing buffet of food. I need to be mindful of getting in and out by just loading my pockets and keep moving. I won’t waste so much time this year. It’s hard to make up that time running when its easier to be more efficient at aid stations.
  3. I plan to put my poles away when I can and RUN. The power line trail, and many sections are very runnable.
I practiced putting my poles away to focus on running more.

Goal of the race?

Enjoying the course, and the event. I want to be less stressed than last year. I was a nervous wreck at the end, racing cut offs, and barely making it. I DO NOT want to be in that position this year. I would like to actually RUN the last 20 miles. I said in Worlds End I wanted to run the last 5 miles,and made that happen. I am looking for the same outcome this year at ES100. No time goal, just able to move well on the final sections and RUN vs hike. Enjoy the course, the aid stations, and the people I share the race with as much as I can before the pain and fatigue set in.

This race will grind you down to a nub with the 21,000K vert. Leading to tired legs, destroyed quads, and a level of discomfort you won’t find in other 100s. I’ve shared a lot of training runs with friends Buddy, Alex, and the EYB runners at the Wiss. I would like an enjoyable experience, but I am OK with whatever happens, either way I’ll learn something from it. This is only the 2nd time ever for a 100 I will have a pacer! The one and only Rich Sharkey, and experienced ultra runner who has agreed to join me for the last 20 miles. I am excited for that as well.

Murphs with friends made up most of my strength training

I am grateful to get to line up again for a 3rd time! Such a well run and amazing experience is always had, and if I can pull off another race finish, I will have achieved this year’s goal of a triple crown. After that, just one final race of the Black Forest Ultra to round out this years racing. What an amazing experience its been so far. PA trail racing doesn’t get any better than this!

Worlds End 100K – Quest for the Crown Race 2

Worlds End 100K – Quest for the Crown Race 2

Published by Patrick Durante on June 6, 2026

Race Recap

My goal going into this race was simple: be able to run at the end. That meant pacing the first half properly, matching my effort to what the weather and course allowed rather than chasing a preset number that’s almost impossible to estimate. I went out slow, staying aware of heart rate and temps, knowing the cooler conditions would work in my favor. The course was muddy in sections and very rocky. I kept waiting to see how the day played out before deciding when to push. I took a lot of time at aid stations because I could, and I don’t regret it. I ran my best 100K to date, below will be some of the tips and tricks that made that happen.

Preparation and Fitness

This was the most mileage I’d put in leading up to any race. I did double days when I could, I ran with my son Isaac on days he needed training for his race, went for quick climbs at lunch to build strength at the local park. I practiced power hiking on the treadmill through the winter months (walking), and it showed. I was catching people on climbs, and someone actually commented that I had an amazingly fast hiking (walking) pace going uphill. Climbing strength, nutrition, heat acclimation: there was nowhere I felt under prepared for this race.

My pace chart that I generated on UltraRunTools.com (in beta)

Nutrition

This was the high point of the race. Using larger bottles for concentrated gel was the right call (see tool here), and being able to eat consistently with just a quick sip is a game changer for running late into an ultra. I was eating far more than in any previous race: aid station food, concentrated gels, and bags of cookies and candy from my pack. Oreo’s and peanut butter M&Ms worked well early on, and even when I stopped wanting solid food late in the race, I could keep going on my gel. Real food was king: hot soups, protein, the egg and sausage burrito at the final aid station. Real food should always make an appearance late in ultras with adding in protein to avoid muscle breakdown. The constant high carb calories, with real food layered in, kept everything feeling great. Order of preference: gel first, then aid station food, then the bag of snacks as a backup.

Nutrition Guideline I generate on UltraRunTools.com, I was WAAAY over this.

Foot Care

It was a stunning course

I put an over emphasis on foot care and it paid off. I never let my feet get wet, changed socks constantly, and pushed my first shoe change back further than usual simply because my feet felt so good. Double socks are a complete game changer for rocky, high-friction courses, and there’s no better way to keep your feet healthy deep into a race. I was still running when others had slowed to a walk. The mud made me more cautious in spots, but staying conservative there was the right call. If my feet are in pain, I will slow to a crawl. I ended up using 3 pairs of shoes in this race, except I didn’t do the first change until 37 miles, which is farther than I normally let a pair of shoes go.

Gear and Execution

I decided not to use poles and it was the right call. They would have slowed me down, and I’d didn’t train with them for this race. The one gear miss was the pace chart, which got crumbled; next time I’ll print it cleaner and attach it somewhere accessible. A single earbud paired to my Garmin watch lasted twelve hours and was critical for navigation, keeping me on course throughout, I then had the 2nd ear bud in a later drop bag. The caffeine and pain management I saved for later in the race, and when I took them together it was massive jolt, and the feeling of fresh legs. I was suddenly running noticeably faster. One note: the caffeine kept me up after I got back to the room, which made the drive home rough the next day. Next time I’ll be more careful with timing caffeine late in a race.

Mental Game

The best feeling was when I left the final aid station, and I knew I had executed the race that I wanted, not the course dictating what should happen. I stayed focused on my own race, not what others around me were doing. That last 10K was genuinely runnable, and I felt amazing, as I passed over 10 different runners on the course. Using my camera to film kept me moving and present in the moment to always think to myself “would this make a good shot?” I shot over an hour of footage I compressed into 10 minutes, but this was only a brief glimpse of the 17 hour race I had that was amazing.

This race completes number 2 on the quest for the crown. This was actually the race that I most feared, the stories I kept hearing told me that I would be chasing cut offs. That was never the case, I was so lucky with the weather it was unbelievable. If you couldn’t get it done on a day like today, then either you just had some bad luck, or your training didn’t match what was needed for the course. I have never raced in such perfect weather conditions in my entire career. What a well run, and amazing race. I am having thoughts of heading back next year already…

The pace plan called for a 15:30 finish, and while I didn’t hit that (final moving time was 17:35:21), my main goal was to enjoy myself, and be able to run those last 6 miles. I did that, and shot a decent video in the process.